No OS as a right

[Marc Lanctot]

On 20/04/09 09:12 PM, I. Khider wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> As I get responses from you (thank you very much) I would like you to
> look at this issue beyond HP and apply it to all manufacturers. To their
> credit, HP had a policy where they voided harware warranties if Linux
> was installed, which they since rescinded. This policy should be
> applicable to any manufacturer across the board, be it Dell, Sony,
> Toshiba, Ummagumma, whatever. The reason no O/S is available as an an
> option manufacturers in other countries is because consumers were active
> to voice their concerns and make a change.
>
> Some said 'vote with dollars', I respectfully submit that this is not
> possible to do in Canada at this time. For instance, with Dell, only
> select models have Ubuntu installed. What if I wanted a model where
> Ubuntu is not an option? Such is the case--the computers I want have
> Windows installed. A consumer ought to purchase ANY model from ANY
> manufacturer and decide whether s/he wishes to have the Windows O/S.
>
> I do not think this is asking for the moon. In our society, we should
> have choice.

I'd love for the choice to be law or the norm. I'm sure many of us 
would. We're still far from that now, I think, but the question is how 
will we get there? It's not going to happen overnight, regardless of how 
much we may want it to.

We won't get there by retaliating using the legal means (in this case). 
You can't go up to McDonalds and tell them that you have the right to 
have gluten-free hamburger buns. The best you'll do is get 10 free 
burgers, but I doubt HP will be that generous :) If you don't like their 
product, you have the consumer-endowed power of buying elsewhere. The 
economy is what drives companies to listen to consumer demands, not 
legal action.

Shake their hands and thank them for their service, inform them that 
you're taking your business elsewhere. Don't punch them in the face. The 
more Linux users respond with hostility, the less inclined HP will be to 
want to support Linux. The more they see incoming letters of "thanks but 
no thanks -- I'm going with company X because they either offer Linux or 
give me the choice", they will eventually realize they have to do this. 
It just takes time and volume.

Marc

-- 
Black holes are where God divided by zero.
   -- Steven Wright
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